MP Heros: 73-Year-Old Jabalpur Man Cultivates Largest Bonsai Collection In India Over 42 Years

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A 73-year-old environmental enthusiast has been continuously growing bonsai plants in his home in Jabalpur for the past 42 years. This elderly couple has planted more than three thousand bonsai plants in their home. There isn't a single corner of their house where they haven't planted a tree. They treat these bonsai plants like their own children. They even have installed CCTV cameras so that they can monitor their 2,500 'children'.

The green activist said he has grown 40 varieties of plants and trees, including 25 from sub-group of ficus species like peepal and banyan using the popular Japanese art form.

73-year-old Sohanlal Dwivedi, who retired from the electricity department 16 years ago, has dedicated his entire life to the environment. For the past 42 years, Sohanlal Dwivedi, along with his wife Neelima Dwivedi, has been cultivating bonsai plants in their home. Today, their home boasts more than three thousand bonsai plants of over 45 different species, and they claim it to be the largest bonsai collection in the country. It took them 42 years to create this collection.

Talking to press, Dwivedi shared that he first read about bonsai plants in a newspaper in 1982, where he learned that a woman in Mumbai had about 250 bonsai plants on her terrace. This news sparked his curiosity about bonsai plants. Therefore, he visited a bonsai club in Delhi to learn more and then started his bonsai collection at home.

What are Bonsai Plants?

Bonsai plants are small trees that are nurtured and fashioned to seem like full-sized trees. Bonsai is the practice of growing trees in small containers and controlling their development and structure by procedures such as trimming, wiring, and potting. Bonsai, a Japanese discipline, focuses on beauty, accuracy, and patience.

Bonsai plants, though small in appearance, function just like large trees. For homes with limited space, bonsai plants can be grown to absorb carbon dioxide, which is crucial in today’s time.

What type of Bonsais does Dwivedi's collection boast?

Dwivedi’s collection includes bonsai plants of seasonal fruits, oranges, lemons, banyans, peepal, berries, cacti, jade, and various decorative plants. He has prepared all these bonsai plants himself. Additionally, he gifts some bonsai plants to people from time to time. These plants are like family members and children to him and his wife, and they take care of them as their own children.